23 thoughts on “Wordless Wednesday : Hanging by a Thread”

It’s hard not to love this grass, even people who say they ‘don’t like grasses’ melt when they see it looking like this. I spend a lot of time admiring it at this time of year, as a robust evergreen it does it all by itself which makes it even more marvellous to me.

Yes I’d agree, as with lots of grasses, stipa do tend to ‘sleep, creep then leap’ over the first three years. Getting them going from seed I notice their root systems are quite delicate in the first-second year and they don’t flower much if at all until their second-third summer. Optimum conditions (sun, drainage and space) help.

Indeed, they are one of the showiest grasses we grow in the UK. It’s interesting to know that they are so reliably early and ‘on time’ across the country regardless of the disparate weather we’ve been enjoying.

I’m pleased you like this grass too, it is a stunner. They ended up here in a dry, stony, sunny spot by chance and to my delight and astonishment they have thrived. They are so happy the gravel is full of seedlings, I have about 40 seedlings on the go … and nowhere to put them!

What a fabulous description, so apt. They started flowerin, as you describe, in early to mid May, they are always one of the first to flower here on the Welsh borders. The ‘flowers’ have only just opened from their needle-like sheaths this week.

As you know, Stipa gigantea is simply marvellous grass. I think they are worth finding, or even creating, the right sunny, well drained spot for them to put on a stunning show. A dark background, in this case a chantry pine, is such a bonus.